Shamkhani: Iran is not seeking the downfall of the House of Saud

Ali Shamkhani, the Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, announced on Monday, January 16, that Tehran "is not only not seeking the downfall of the House of Saud, but is also willing to contain efforts to overthrow the Saudi government." According to reports, Mr. Shamkhani stated in an interview with the "Tehran Foreign Policy Studies Quarterly" that "the fall of the House of Saud will never mean the replacement of a desirable government." Previously, according to the "Basij Press" news agency, Gholamreza Jalali, head of the Passive Defense Organization, had said on October 4 of this year: "The U.S., Israel, and Saudi Arabia are the sources of threats against our country, and we are engaged with Saudi Arabia in three areas: military, economic, and cyber." He emphasized that "in the strategy of proxy warfare, if the U.S. is to fight, it will do so with Saudi Arabia at the center in the region," adding, "When Saudi Arabia purchases new military weapons, such as various types of missiles with ranges of 2000 and 3000 kilometers, as well as aircraft, it indicates that a structure of threat against us is taking shape." Ali Shamkhani pointed out that "following the fall of the House of Saud, Saudi Arabia will almost certainly disintegrate," adding that after that, "the degenerate extremist-Daesh thought will dominate significant parts of Saudi Arabia." The Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council of Iran also referred to "the existence of plans by Western countries for the disintegration of the region" and urged countries like Turkey and Saudi Arabia to "clarify their positions." Ali Shamkhani posed the question of whether Turkey and Saudi Arabia welcome the "disintegration process in Syria and Islamic countries and whether Saudi Arabia is immune from the flames of disintegration in the region?" He stated that Iran "has always stood against the rise of extremism and defends the territorial unity of the countries in the region because it considers the disintegration of countries as a precursor to the dominance of terrorist thought over Islamic lands, and this event is in conflict with the strategic interests of the Islamic world." Iran and Saudi Arabia have experienced a cold and tense period in their bilateral relations, especially after the death of King Abdullah, the former king of Saudi Arabia. Tehran and Riyadh have disagreements on regional issues, including Syria, Yemen, and Iraq, with each accusing the other of interfering in the internal affairs of these countries and the region. Iran and Saudi Arabia have also accused each other of interfering in their internal affairs. In this regard, Ali Shamkhani, head of the Supreme National Security Council, had previously accused Saudi Arabia of attempting to create insecurity in southeastern Iran and "sending weapons" and supporting "terrorist groups" in this region. Mohsen Rezaei, former commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and Secretary of the Expediency Discernment Council of Iran, also stated in late July that Saudi Arabia had established a base in Pakistan's Balochistan to "destabilize" Iran's eastern borders. Conversely, Saudi Arabia has accused Iran of supporting the Shiites in that country. Nevertheless, each of these two countries denies the allegations of interference in each other's affairs. In this context, following the execution of a dissident Shiite cleric in Saudi Arabia and attacks on Saudi diplomatic missions in Tehran and Mashhad in January 2016, diplomatic relations between the two countries were severed. After that, several of Saudi Arabia's regional allies cut their ties with Iran. Prior to this, relations between Tehran and Riyadh had soured following the deaths of 464 Iranians during the Hajj pilgrimage the previous year. Meanwhile, Ali Qazi Asgar, the representative of the Supreme Leader in Hajj and Pilgrimage Affairs, stated on January 12 that a delegation from Iran would travel to Saudi Arabia to negotiate with Saudi officials regarding the upcoming Hajj pilgrimage. According to him, this trip is in response to Saudi Arabia's invitation for Iranian citizens to participate in the Hajj. Ali Qazi Asgar told the state news agency IRNA that currently, nothing is confirmed for this year's Hajj, and when conditions are met, Iranian citizens will participate in the Hajj. In this context, the Iraqi Foreign Minister stated that he has exchanged messages between Iran and Saudi Arabia for mediation. The representative of Ayatollah Khamenei stated that Iran is not willing to boycott this year's Hajj. Michel Aoun stated that relations with Iran should not hinder Lebanon's relations with the Arab world. Iran confirmed receiving an invitation from Saudi Arabia for next year's Hajj. The spokesperson for the Iranian Foreign Ministry stated that reforming Saudi behavior is essential for global peace.